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Introduction

Electronic test & measurement (T&M) tools have an indispensable place on the workbenches of hobbyists, students, and DIY enthusiasts. These tools are also essential for educational and R&D institutions, who rely on them in their classrooms and labs. The EEZ Open project is an attempt to bridge the gap between T&M tools for hobbyists and students and the tools relied on in commercial, professional environments. It does that by combing the best of both sides.

Typically, the tools used by DIY groups, students, and hobbyists tend to be simple and inexpensive. Driven by a need to learn and experiment, they are generally built around free and open source software (FOSS) and hardware (FOSH). As they are passed around and shared, they create a community of users around them who are willing to assist with feedback on how to improve the project and how to avoid common mistakes. These tools are often of lower quality, have limited functionality, and lack proper documentation. That is also true of the software side, where support for some T&M instruments’ programming and interconnecting standards can be almost non-existent.

By contrast, commercial T&M offerings provide reliable and feature rich “turn-key” solutions, and they come equipped with software that lets users create centralized control of and communication between different T&M devices. However, commercial solutions also have two significant drawbacks: high cost and closed design that is often protected by one or more patents. The high cost of commercial T&M instruments makes them unattainable for the DIY & educational groups. This, along with the limited functionality of DIY tools, puts a damper on experimentation and creativity. Similarly, in educational environments, the expense of commercial-grade tools limits students’ ability to get hands-on experience.

Free and Open Source

The EEZ Open project seeks to solve these problems with a unique approach to building T&M tools. One of the best parts of the project is its software, both in terms of already implemented features and because of the availability of development tools that allow users to quickly model new or modify existing functionality for their own unique needs. This campaign seeks to launch the first device made explicitly for this software: the EEZ H24005, a dual-channel, programmable power supply whose feature set exceeds many commercial offerings.

Firmware simulator is a “virtual instrument” for exploring and testing all functionality without needing the physical device on hand. It helped us speed up development by avoiding things like, for example, frequent and time consuming uploading to the MCU. You can download the latest stable version. Simply download and install to see what has been implemented using SCPI commands, the command line, and the GUI console/front panel.

EEZ Studio is a powerful WYSIWYG development tool for creating and editing the menus and pages on a local display (in this, the color TFT touch-screen on the H24005). We found it incredibly useful and time-saving when we were developing the menus and pages that display the power supply’s information and status. EEZ Studio is not quite yet publicly available, but it’s not required for EEZ H24005’s firmware in run-time. We are planning to publish the first complete version shortly after the campaign’s end for those who want to play with the menus and display info.

Both applications run on multiple OS’s (Linux, Windows, OS X, etc.) with the Arduino IDE supported as a first target platform. We chose it because it’s also open source and cross-platform and well known within the DIY and maker communities. Modifying existing code, adding code to achieve new functionality, or simply uploading to our new firmware releases shouldn’t be a problem.

Another Bench Power Supply?

The EEZ H24005 is not just another programmable bench-top power supply. While its software, hardware, and mechanical aspects are designed to compete with any commercial offering, because it is fully free and open source, it provides a level of independence and hackability that simply doesn’t exist with proprietary, traditional tools.

The EEZ H24005 can’t be easily categorized as either a typical DIY solution or standard commercial solution for two simple reasons: it’s packed with features that cannot be found in DIY projects, yet its design (software, hardware and mechanical) is free and open source that is not-existent and by default still forbidden within professional/commercial solution. No more paying for unlocking additional firmware features, no more waiting for repairs or hunting for service manuals if someone makes a mistake and lets the “magic smoke” out.

Our design keeps these key concepts at the fore:

Modular design – different people have different power requirements for different projects. Therefore, the EEZ H24005 consists of four modules + MCU board (Arduino Due or compatible 32-bit ARM board), so changing one part of the system does not mean everything else has to be thrown away and a new “mainboard” created.

Programmability – experimenters and even every-day users have diverse needs for a power supply scheme: they want to play with analog circuits or digital circuits that could include power-demanding motors, lights, etc., or they may need to charge batteries with different chemistry that demands different charging schemes. Or, perhaps a programmed voltage and current sequence is needed for testing performance of other circuits. All that can be done via SCPI commands, allowing power-users to add new features without having to wait for a commercial firmware upgrade that might never come.

Reliability – Powering circuits and/or charging batteries must be safe, even if left untended for prolonged periods. To ensure safety and reliability, we spent a lot of time designing our circuits and implementing multiple protection and self-test features which we then tested in real life situations.

DIY friendly – The miniaturization of electronic parts makes them hard for a DIY builder to work with them. We selected components in sizes and packages that are easy to hand-solder without special equipment or skills.

Connectivity – With USB and Ethernet connectivity, you can be a few steps or a few thousand miles away from your EEZ H24005 and still communicate with it. Communication also helps when many units are deployed in one place, like a classroom or lab.

Full teardown of the EEZ H24005

Hardware Features & Specifications

The EEZ H24005 has a feature set similar to any other commercial, bench-top power supply. But it also has features that make it uniquely different. We’ve broken it all down below:

The EEZ H24005 has a unique design that is highly efficient when high power output is required, but can also provide low ripple, low noise output for sensitive, low power circuits.

Its user-interface is also distinct. We believe the combination of a touch-screen display and single encoder knob provides a UI that successfully replaces the traditional “function” keys, keypads, potentiometers, encoders, switches, etc. With the EEZ Studio, the GUI displayed on the touch-screen can be easily modified to satisfy different users’ needs and tastes. We look forward to getting feedback from users as they interact with our GUI and make improvements and changes.

In addition, there are additional features that will be unlocked and
included for free as the campaign reaches its various stretch
goals. So far, we’ve
reached the first stretch goal (encoder knob).

All modules can be easily mounted into a pre-drilled, customized metal enclosure as shown below. The enclosure consists of four parts, is made of 1.5 mm thick aluminum, and comes with screw-fixed rubber feet and front panel handles.

To simplify assembly, the number of cables has been minimized. Cooling is provided by 60 mm fan and two passive heatsinks that are also used to securely mount the power boards and further improve the mechanical strength of the enclosure.

Metal enclosure 3D model

Rear view of assembled EEZ H24005 with top cover removed

Firmware

The EEZ H24005 firmware is an Arduino sketch that lets users perform all operations both locally and remotely. While local control via 3.2” TFT color touch-screen display allows quick on-site handling, remote control allows not just convenient access via serial/USB or Ethernet connection, but also makes it possible to automate many operations on single or multiple units in a classroom, laboratory, or so-called automated test facility.

Local Control

The main home screen provides a consolidated overview of all programmed and measured output values, the status of various protection mechanisms, and easy access to system settings, user profiles, event views, and input power control (Stand-by mode). Currently three different views are implemented as shown below, and these can be further expanded for specific user needs.

The most frequently set options are programming output values (voltage and current) and changing power outputs. So we offer three ways of setting outputs: one that emulates a numeric keypad, an encoder (step mode), and a potentiometer (slider mode). The pot works as a 2D slider with variable “sensitivity,” allowing changes to a selected value in larger or smaller increments.

Protection Mechanisms

EEZ H24005 comes with multiple protection systems that have been thoroughly tested using various types of loads and taking into accounts edge cases such as powering up, shut down, run-time detection of cooling fan failure, etc.

Protection mechanisms are implemented at both the hardware and software level to guard to provide the maximum possible protection for connected loads and the power supply itself. Currently, the following protections are provided:

Assembly

The EEZ H24005 is available in several kits, from bare bones to complete kits. Assembling and using the power supply requires an understanding of electronic circuits and basic computer programming skills. We’ll be glad to assist anyone with the assembly process. Support can also be found in popular electronic forums where the project has already gotten a lot of attention (eevblog and the diyaudio forums ). Reaching out for help is the best way to avoid errors and frustration!

Pledge Levels

There are four pledge levels for this campaign:

Pledge level

Bare PCBs

Enclosure and Assemblies

Core Modules

Complete Kit

Set of 4 bare PCBs

Yes

–

n/a

n/a

Metal enclosure

–

Yes

–

Yes

Nuts, bolts, and electromechanical parts

–

Yes

–

Yes

Wire harness

–

Yes

–

Yes

Set of 4 PCB modules

–

–

Yes

Yes

3.2” TFT color touch-screen

–

–

–

Yes

2 x AC/DC power modules

–

–

–

Yes

Arduino Due

–

–

–

Yes

Manufacturing Plan

We have already successfully produced limited numbers of prototype PCBs and metal enclosures. We’ve chosen a manufacturer for the enclosure and are currently investigating manufacturers for the PCBs and PCBA. We will source wire harnesses and packaging locally.

All modules will be tested in-house before shipping. However, end users will need to complete calibration locally by following the simple calibration wizard or remotely using SCPI commands.

Risks & Challenges

We have been working on the EEZ H24005 for the last two years and are confident we have eliminated most of the technical risk. We’ve done this by completing four prototypes and getting lots of feedback and help from the communities on popular electronics forums. Similarly, the firmware is mature and complete for its core based functionality implementing SCPI and touch-screen interfaces. We are now working to add more nifty features.

There’s always a possibility of unforeseen delays with PCB module assembly due to some part shortage or shipping issue. However, we have built a margin into our schedule to allow for such unforeseen delays. We will of course let our backers know if there are any problems that could affect the ship date.

Shipping & Logistics

EEZ H24005 components will be shipping from Crowd Supply’s warehouse in the United States. We can’t pre-pay VAT, so if your country collects VAT upon import, you’ll likely have to pay that and possibly deal with customs clearance. Therefore, the stated shipping cost does not include any applicable taxes. Unfortunately, this applies to everyone, including EU backers, as we are not able to support a parallel EU logistics and accounting operation.

Envox d.o.o. is home of the Envox Experimental Zone (EEZ), an open source initiative to bridge the gap between DIY / hobbyist / educational / low-budget and professional / commercial test and measurement solutions.